US2250860A

US2250860A - Oven illumination for stoves

Info

Publication number: US2250860A
Application number: US292010A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ehret Clement
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1939-08-26
Filing date: 1939-08-26
Publication date: 1941-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 1958-07-29

Description

y 1941- c. EHRET OVEN ILLUMINATION FOR STOV ES Filed Aug. 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m I I INVENTOR. Clemenr Ehret ATTORNEY.

Patented July 29, 1941 OVEN ILLUMINATION Fon s'rovEs Clement Ehret, White Plains, N. Y. I Application August as, 1939, Serial No. 292,010

3 Claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 249,673, filed January '7, 1939, and is filed pursuant to a requirement; for division in said application.

' The object of the present invention is to provide simple and convenient means for illuminating the interior of the oven of a domestic cooking stove, so that the contents thereof may be made clearly visible when desired.

Attempts have heretofore been made to illuminate ovens, as, for example, in my aforesaid application wherein a suitable source of light, such as an electric lamp is mounted within a lamp housing with a transparent window between the lamp and the oven interior. When such a structure i employed, it is found that steam and other vapors from food cooking in the oven, as well as grease which may be spattered' therefrom, lodge and accumulate upon said window and so interfere with the passage of light therethrough as to result in improper illumination. In time the window may become so coated with grease and other extraneous matter that it is impossible to get any effective light therethrough. Accordingly it has been found necessary with structures employing transparent windows to provide a wiper or other means to keep the window free from accumulations. This is the subject matter of my application of which this case forms a division.

In accordance with the invention herein described and claimed the necessity for a wiperor other similar cleaning device is eliminated by eliminating the window between the lamp and the oven interior and by associating with the lamp a light valve, preferably in the form of a wall which is adapted to be normally interposed between the oven interior and the lamp. This wall effectually protects the lamp from accumulations, such as those to which I have referred, but is so mounted as to be movable from between the lamp and the oven interior when it is desired to illuminate the oven. Further-- more .the present invention provides for normal inactivity of the lamp and for the illumination thereof only at such times as when the wall is moved from between the lamp and oven interior to permit of illumination of the latter. In other words, this invention permits the illumination of the oven at such times as it may be desired to do so, while at all other times the lamp is isolated from the oven interior and is preferably vented to the atmosphere, to preclude fogging of the lamp and to eliminate overheating of such lamp lIS.

and the associated switches which may be utilized to control its operation.

' Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate differ ent practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention. 1

Figure 1 is a section perspective of a stove construction embodying the present invention in one of its practical forms.

Figure 2 is a section in the plane of the line 22 of Figure 1. p

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3'3 of Figure 2. I

Figure 4 is a fragmental perspective showing a modified form of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a section perspective taken in the plane of the line 55 of Figure 4 and viewing the parts from the interior of the oven.

Figures 6 and 7 are sections showing further modified forms of construction. V

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1-3, the stove body I is shown as having an oven 2. The oven has a suitable door 2a which may be provided with a transparent panel 2b. Adjacent the front of the oven is a recess or seat 3 having the cross section of a quarter of acircle tacts 9 and lil fixed on an insulating rotor rigid with the shaft. The rotor is enclosed within a cap ll carrying a strip of insulation l2 and this strip carries brushes l3 and M to engage with the contacts 9 and Iii. A handle I5 is attached to' the outer end of the shaft 6 to rotate the latter, so that in one position the contacts will feed current to the lamp 8 and in other positions the lamp will be deeneraized.

The parts are so related that, when the lamp is illuminated, an opening It in the wall of the lamp housing will register with the interior of the oven, so that the oven may be illuminatedby the lamp. When the'housing is rotated by the handle IE to shut off the current to the lamp, the opening it will move into'jux'taposition with the seat 3 and seal the oven against loss of heat at this point. Vent openings I! in the lamp housing 4 will, at such times, vent the interior of the housing to the atmosphere to keep the lamp from fogging. When the opening I6 is in registration with the oven interior the vent openings will be closed by the seat 3. Thus by merely grasping and rotating the handle I5, the housing, acting as a light valve, will cause the oven .to be illuminated or darkened. When illuminated the vent openings I! will be sealed so as to preclude loss of heat and when the oven is darkened, the lamp 8 is isolated from the oven interior by the solid interposed wall of the lamp housing 4 and the interior of the lamp housing is vented to the atmosphere.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figures 4 and 5, the oven has an inner wall l8, an outer wall l3 and is provided with .an oven door 20 which may have a transparent panel 2!. The walls l8 and IQ of the oven are provided with a cut out 22 having associated therewith arcuate seats 23 in which a cylindrical lamp housing 24 is mounted to rotate. This cylindrical lamp housing is held to its seat by a cover 25 pivoted at 26 to the outside of the oven and this cover may be swung into an open position to obtain ready access to the lamp housing and to the lamp 2'! contained therein. As shown best in Figure 5, the lamp housing has formed in one side thereof an opening 28 which, through rotation of the housing, may be brought into and out of registration with the cut out 22 of the inner wall of the oven or may be moved out of such registration. When moved out of registration the opening 23 is adapted to register with vent openings 23 in the cover 25. The lamp housing 24 is secured at its forward end to a hollow shaft 38 which extends forwardly through a switch box 3i and is provided at its forward end with a handle 32 whereby the lamp housing may be rotated. The handle 32 corresponds to the handle l5, hereinbefore described, and the current switching mechanism in the lamp housing 3! corresponds to and may be of the same construction as the current switching mechanism of Figures 1-3 inclusive.

The arrangement is such that, when the lamp housing is rotated into position to bring the

openings

28 and 22 into register, current will be fed to the lamp 2'! to energize the same and thus illuminate the interior of the oven. When the lamp housing is rotated into a position to bring a solid portion of the wall of the lamp housing in registration with the opening 22 of the inner wall of the oven, the oven will be thereby darkened and the switch mechanism will turn oif current to the lamp.

The cover 25 may be provided with an opening 33 having therein a colored glass to act as a telltale and thereby show when the lamp is ignited. This is particularly useful in ovens which are not provided with transparent doors. If it become desirable at any time toremove the lamp 21, the cover 25 may simply be opened and the lamp housing rotated into off position to thereby render the lamp readily accessible.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 6, an opening 34 through the oven wall is adapted to be closed on the inside of the oven by a flap 35 pivoted at 36 and on the outside of the oven by a flap 3'! pivoted at 38. The pivot of the inner flap 35 is preferably weighted as at 39, so as to normally close this flap. The pivot 38 is rigid withthe outer flap, extends forwardly 48 of a toggle switch 49.

to the front of the stove and is provided with a handle like the handle 32 in Figure 4, so that the outer flap 3'! may be operated by such a handle.

Within the space between the inner and outer flaps is a lamp 4%] which, if desired, may be connected with current switching means corresponding to the current switching means 3| of Figure 4 to thus be controlled by the operation of the handle as specified. However, as shown in Figure 6, the lamp is controlled by a switch 41 having a push button 42 so mounted that, when the outer flap is closed, it will engage the push button 42 and energize the lamp whereas, when the flap 31 is in open position,- the push button switch will turn oil the lamp.

The outer flap is shown as carrying a camming finger 43 of such length that, when the outer flap is closed, the inner flap will be forced into open position, as shown in full lines in Figure 6, whereas, when the outer flap is opened, the weight 39 of the inner flap will force the latter flap into closed position and open the outer one. With this arrangement it will be impossible to inadvertently leave the inner flap in open position. With this arrangement the inner flap will normally be closed to isolate the lamp from the interior of the oven and the lamp will be normally deenergized. When the outer flap, however, is closed, the lamp will be energized and the inner flap will be opened, so that the light of the lamp will serve to illuminate the interior of the oven. 7

I have described the structure of Figure 6 as operated by a handle acting upon the pivot 38 of the outer flap, but, if desired, thisoperation may be dispensed with and a knob 44 may be placed on the outer flap in such a way that it may be directly grasped for the purpose of manipulating the parts in the manner described. The-structure of Figure '7 is in many respects like the structure of Figure 6. Here, however, the inner flap 45 is connected to the outer flap 46 by a link 41 which is pivoted to the handle This toggle switch controls the feed of current to the lamp 5t] and is so arranged that the lamp will be energized when the inner flap is opened and deenergized when the inner flap is closed. The outer flap may be manipulated to bring about these results in any suitable way as hereinbefore described.

All of the several forms of the invention which I have described comprise a lamp which, under normal conditions, is isolated from the interior of the oven by an interposed wall member adapted to function as a light valve. In certain cases this light valve is in the form of a cylindrical lamp housing and in other cases, it is in the form of a pivoted wall, specifically a flap. So long as the wall member is interposed between the lamp and the oven interior, the lamp is vented to the atmosphere and is thoroughly protected from deposits from within the oven. Moreover, when the light valve is opened to open the light aperture to the oven, the oven is sealed from without so as notto occasion appreciable loss of heat. The said wall member need not be transparent and in fact preferably is not. It is preferably made of metal and may be provided with appropriate asbestos or other refractory gaskets to insure a-fairly tight, fit and minimize heat losses.

In the normal condition of the parts, roasts, etc. cooking within an oven cannot spatter grease or other extraneous matter upon the lamp and 2,250,860 if suchmatter is deposited upon the wall member it cannot interfere with illumination of the oven at such times as illumination is desired. The lamp is thus kept clean for protracted periods and is operable to perform its desired functions when required.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms and the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An oven having a lamp chamber provided with an opening into the interior of the oven and another opening to the atmosphere, a lamp mounted in fixed position in said chamber for illuminating the oven interior, an inner closure for closing the opening into the oven interiorly of the lamp to normally protect the lamp from the heat within the oven, an outer closure for closing the opening to the atmosphere exteriorly of the lamp to preclude loss of heat from within the oven to the atmosphere when the inner cloof the lamp to normally protect the lamp from the heat within the oven, an outer closure for closing the opening to the atmosphere exteriorly of the lamp to preclude loss of heat from within the oven to the atmosphere when the inner closure is open, a link, one end of which is pivoted to the inner closure and the other end of which is pivoted to the outer closure, so that one is closed as the other is opened, a switch for controlling the lamp, anda switch operating handle secured to said handle to energize the lamp when the inner closure is opened and to de-energize the lamp when the inner closure is closed.

3. An oven having a lamp chamber provided with an opening into the interior of the oven and another opening to the atmosphere, a lamp in said chamber, a pivoted inner closure for closing the opening into the oven interiorly of the lamp to normally protect the lamp from the heat within the oven, a pivoted outer closure for closing the opening to the atmosphere exteriorly of the lamp to preclude loss of heat from within the oven to the atmosphere when the inner closure is open, a lamp controlling switch in said chamber having an operating button positioned to be engaged by the outer closure when the latter is closed to energize the lamp and to be disengaged by such closure when the latter is open to disengage the lamp, and operative connections between the closures whereby, when the outer closure is closed, the inner closure is opened.

CLEMENT EHRET.